


Gift of Love

by imgilmoregirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Fluff, Mother's Day, Rumbelle Mother's Day Mania
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:24:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imgilmoregirl/pseuds/imgilmoregirl
Summary: Gideon missed the mother's day with Belle because of a really sweet - and for him, a really annoying - reason, but it doesn't mean they can't make it for the lost time and Rumplestiltskin will help with it.





	Gift of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written specially for the @rumbellemdm, which finally made me write for my favourite couple after months, so YAY! I hope everyone enjoy it, this is a very sweet family fic that I loved writing.

What is a gift of love? Some people would say it is partnership and devotion, other - the most pretentious ones - would guess it was some piece of jewelry or anything made out of gold, and in some cases you could hear some saying it was the bliss found in one's arms. However, although all of these could be considered gifts, none of them is the only and one, gift of love, the present that can only come from the pure passion between two human beings. The ultimate gift of love, is a child.

Of all people in this world, Rumplestiltskin understood the importance of bringing someone entirely new to life, he had lost two children and got his heartbroken by their absence. It was all in the past now, of course, but he only got one of his sons back and his heart would lack his Baelfire until the end of his days, but it wasn't enough motive to make him bitter and dark anymore, that thanks to his wife and the best mother he knew, Belle.

Storybrooke wasn't the place he had imagined staying his whole life at, but after many trips, he and Belle had decided it was right to have a home to come back to and raise their family. The pink house had always pleased her, as it did him and most of their memories were there, so when they permanently moved back, it didn't seem strange at all, not even for Gideon who was used to struggle through his first nights in whatever hotel they stayed at. It was really like finally finding the peacefulness of constancy they needed.

Gideon had just turn four which was just another reason for them to decide to settle down, it was time for him to start school and as afraid as they were of how he might react staying away from his parents for so long, the boy was doing great. Rumple was proud of him and was more than happy to be able to pick him up that specific day. His car was full of the silliest stuff that would have only made him roll his eyes some years ago, but that now only made him imagine his wife's happiness when they arrived home. The flowers were a big part of it: a full box of red, white and yellow roses to bring some colour to their house and make everything a bit more special.

He was waiting inside the car, watching as the people slowly gathered in front of the school's gates in that cloudy Monday morning. Gideon had been a bit angry in the day prior, said Granny, who had taken care of him during the weekend for them. His poor boy had a plan for Mother's Day, but life had another, so he hadn't seen his precious mama when he was supposed to fill her with kisses and cuddles. Now, however, with the surprise he had carefully prepared, Rumple hoped everything was going to be alright and Gideon would be more than satisfied with this replacement for the weekend he had lost.

The gates opened and Rumple let most of the parents in before he left the car to follow them in search for his son's class. And there he found him, wearing his cute uniform and holding his Batman bag with pleedy eyes, probably hoping Granny wouldn't come to pick him up again, just like in the last Friday. A big smile crossed his lips when he saw Rumple and ran past his teacher, throwing himself in him papa's arms with a squeal.

"Papa, I was missing you," Gideon whined.

"We saw each other yesterday," Rumplestiltskin pointed out, carrying his son out of the school's building. "You've only slept at Granny's."

The boy with his eyes and his mother's sweetness looked down at the ground, clutching his bag closer. Rumple knew he was sad and wished everything could have turned out as Gideon expected, but it was time for him to understand that some things come for the best and that we doesn't always get exactly what we wanted.

"I want to see my mama," he sniffled. "I've made another card for her today."

"Two cards and a bracelet, huh? Your mother is certainly very lucky," the father answered, kissing his son's forehead. "But you're also lucky, but you're getting to see mama in just a bit."

"So she is home?"

"Aye, my boy," Rumple said with a smile. "Your mother is finally home."

The happiness in Gideon's face was as clear as the bluest sky during Summer break. He jumped out of his father's arms and pulled the car's door open, letting out a surprised grasp when he saw the flowers and the balloons filling the space that was usually empty in there. Gideon threw his back on the bench, sitting up on his car seat, adjusting the belt without even being asked to do it, which was a surprise for Rumple, because they always struggled with the use of that stupid thing.

"Papa," the boy called, pulling at the hem of his overcoat. "Did you buy all of this for mama?"

"I surely did. Do you thing she is going to like it?"

"Of course!"

Ruffling his hair, Rumple locked the door and set himself in front of the steering wheel, finally driving them home.

Right in front of the house, was parked a cute little blue car, Belle's most recent acquisition, although she wasn't really fond of driving and preferred to watch the road from the passenger's seat, she had insisted that it would now be needed and Rumple was more than happy to give her another thing that could make his daring wife feel free. Gideon, who was used to see her listening to some music and reading a book inside the car rather than driving, immediately rose from his own seat to peek a look through the windows, just to find out the other vehicle was empty. He made an angry noise, crossing his arms and kicking his bag in deception, a feeling that Rumplestiltskin could very well understand, as he also hated to stay away from his Belle.

"Calm down, son," he said in his wisest voice. "Your mother is just inside the house waiting for you."

Gideon nodded, still a bit torn. They parked the car and Rumple started picking up the things he had brought, but even before he could have picked up the second box of flowers, Gideon slipped out of the car and ran towards their house, entering it as if he was a hurricane.

Rolling his eyes, the pawnbroker continued his work, locking the Cadillac before he managed to enter his home with all that baggage in his arms, but once inside there, he was rewarded with the amazing sound of his wife and his son's laughs, that sound of happiness that always reminded him of how lucky he was. And, as he didn't want to bother them now, when they were just meeting after that first long - not that long - separation, Rumple prepared the living room, settling down the roses, the balloons and serving the cupcakes in their best china, just the way Belle would do had she been preparing something like this.

Then, when the laughs had become a lower conversation, he followed their sound through the house and on to the backyard where he finally found them. It was the most beautiful image he had ever seen in his whole life, like a glimpse of Heaven. A giant tea towel was stretched out on the grass, Belle laying above it under the sunset, wearing silly black leggings and a long blue blouse, her hair forming a dark pillow under her head. She was beauty and their four-year-old son wrapped around her arms was just what joy could be described as. A warm smile formed on his lips as Rumplestiltskin got closer, admiring his family and settling his curious glare on the Moses basket that laid beside them.

The pink blanket was falling out of it, just as did one little hand. He got even closer and kneeled to brush his fingers ever so softly on the baby's chubby rosy cheeks before picking her up and bringing her close to his chest where his heart beated fastly at every new breath of that new life. He run his nose along her face and kissed her eyelids, watching as she yawned and brought a fist up to her mouth so she could suck something.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so awestruck in my whole life, Rum," Belle said lazily, cuddling Gideon closer. "I'm probably the second girl in your life now."

He let out a laugh, adjusting Rosie's weight in his arms before benting down to kiss Belle's lips, which made Gideon make a disgusted noise.

"You'll always be the first, sweetheart, after all it was you who gave me her, wasn't it?"

"What about me?" asked Gideon, his head appearing between them and making them both laugh.

Belle sat up, holding him in her arms just like she did when he was a baby, wrapped in blankets just as his newborn sister was. She filled his face with butterfly kisses and tickled his belly, almost making the boy lose his air before she stopped, looking at their son with the same adoration that Rumple had probably been looking at their daughter.

"We will always love you, Giddy. Always. You're the most handsome and special boy in this world for us."

"And I will be a hero," added him.

"Well, let's see what future holds for you," Belle winked.

Just on cue, baby Rosie opened her mouth and let out the loudest wails of all, making Rumple freeze in place for a second. He had taken care of Baelfire and then Gideon when they were babies, but every time seemed to be a brand new experience and now that they had girl he was sure that it was. Rosie seemed too small and fragile and most of the times although he wanted to keep holding her and protecting her from the world forever he also felt afraid of doing the wrong thing. It had been the very first time he had watched his wife's pregnancy, that he had felt a child of his kicking from the womb and that he had been there for the scariest thirth hours of labour and then fourteen hours of NICU and now he thought Belle was definitely the greatest warrior he had ever known.

Rumplestiltskin had broken down in tears twice during this complicated progress of bringing Rosie into the world, whist Belle had stayed strong and held her tears until they were tears of happiness and relief. Maybe that was the reason he froze and needed to let Belle pick up the baby from him, giving him a reassurant smile as she shushed for their daughter until she calmed down in her mother's loving arms.

"Why is she so small?" Gideon asked.

"Well, she came for weeks earlier, darling," Belle replied, pulling herself up to her feet with such a grace that she could have been a ballet dancer for all he knew.

Rumple copied her, grabbing the basket and the towel to take them inside in case it started raining.

"But your belly is still quite big," their boy pointed out with a curious face.

Belle laughed out loud.

"Well, thank you, I know I look giant," she added in a sarcastic tone. "But yes, it will take some time for my belly to go back to normal, but there is no other baby in there, I can guarantee."

This time, Gideon shrugged, rushing back into their house to pick what Rumple knew were the presents he was waiting for forever to give his mother, but they took their time making their way back and Rumple enjoyed it, wrapping his arm around Belle's shoulders and kissing her cheek.

"Just so you know, you look wonderful for me," he reassured her.

"Thank you, Rum, but I'm not actually worried about it right now, I'm just happy Rosie and I are both alive and well."

With a quick nod, Rumplestiltskin agreed with her, because even when life was the most peaceful and calm for them the bad times still existed. No Black Fairies didn't meant no danger this time, as nature itself had its dangers and an early difficult labour was included in it. Funny it was, however, that they were so worried about Dark Magic and monsters that neither Belle nor Rumple had been prepared to the normal difficulties of life. Not that anyone could actually blame them. But in the end, however, Gideon had been the most surprised - and frustrated - by his sister's birth, because Belle had gone into labour on Friday and couldn't come home until now, which meant that for the very first time they missed a Mother's Day together.

The maddening hormones that still worked in Belle's body plus her usual tendency of being easily overwhelmed, brought clear tears to her eyes the moment they stepped a foot back inside the house and saw their little Gideon bouncing around with his gifts in hand and pointing at the living room. She looked up at her husband with a mesmerized glare and all he could do was to smile back at his beauty, taking the baby from her arms to allow her to silently follow their son on to the next room.

"God, you two did all this?" Belle questioned, as she kneeled on the floor in front of their coffee table, which had been filled with delicious red velvet cupcakes which together read best mother in the world.

"No, mama," Gideon laughed. "These are cupcakes from Granny's, don't you see? But I've made you something all by myself."

He presented her the sparkly cards, full of glitter and too much glue, but Rumple doubted that Belle had even noticed it. She opened both, sighing happily to see her name written in that four-year-old clumsy calligraphy and kissed him twice on each cheek.

"Oh, Giddy, this is lovely! Thank you! I've missed you so much these days."

"Me too," the boy replied. "I was angry Doctor Whale said I was too young to pay visits at a hospital. I have told him that when I grow up and get powerful like papa I will turn him into a toad for that."

"Gideon," Belle exclaimed in disbelief, giving Rumple the kind of glance that said how much that boy was his son through and through. "Remember what I said, magic is not for that."

Shrugging he reached for the second gift that was waiting on the table, a bracelet he had made at school with blue and yellow threads. The smile on his face when Gideon handed it to her, could have stopped the whole world. It surely made Belle's heart stop for a second, Rumple was the love of her life, but her children were her pride and soul. She let Gideon slid the bracelet around her wrist and kissed his cheek, hugging him so tightly that he made a whiny noise.

"This is perfect, darling. I can't believe you're old enough to make things like this."

"And someday I'll be big enough to have money and buy you golden, sparkly things from those nice stores," Gideon guaranteed. "I will become smart, wear suits and punch every boy that tries to marry my sissy Rosie."

There were loud laughs coming from both Rumple and Belle. It was fantastic for the beauty how much their son had taken from his father, but how now-a-days it made her just happy to realize it than it had made in the past when her Gideon had been that tortured young man they so tried to save. The darkness of their past just made her present days more beautiful.

"Poor, Rosie, then," Belle giggled. "Just make sure she chooses the right one, huh? We want her to have a good boy by her side."

"No," Gideon insisted. "No boys for my sissy."

Belle looked up at Rumple, seeing him shake his shoulders as he smiled back at her, getting comfortable by her side and placing their baby girl on his legs, carefully. He knew that eventually Gideon would change his mind, knew that they would make everything for him to grow up being the best of the both worlds and he couldn't see the future failing them in any way.

"He is a protective one, sweetheart."

"Yeah," the wife agreed. "Just like his father."

When she reached up for his lips and brushed hers against them Rumple sighed joyfully realizing that he didn't need to reach out for the darkness anymore, never again. He was now a changed man who got his second chance and Belle had done exactly what she had told him to do: she taught him how to love again and she gave him the family he had always longed for.

"Happy Mother's Day, my love, belated or not you are still the best one of them."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Mother's Day to all mums out there. You are badass heroes who deserve the world.


End file.
